Thursday, May 26, 2016

7. Review of "Half a Shadow" - Anurag Shourie

Review of "Half a Shadow" - Anurag Shourie

My first thought after reading about this book was, how can Science and Spirituality find common ground; but, hats-off to Anurag for this "Mytho-Medical Thriller" which in his words is a Medical Thriller with a Mythological bend to it. As interesting as it may sound, you truly have to delve into the pages to get the drift of it. I've read my share of medical thrillers, but this mytho-medic angle is just brilliant. Kudos to the author for delving into the uncharted waters.

The story revolves around (no prizes for guessing) a doctor, Aditya, who is working as anesthetist in a cancer hospital. He thinks that at the age of 35 has lived his life. He has serious drinking issues and in one of his inebriated stupors, he reads a wrong file for young patient which causes her demise. In his bid to find out more about it, he chances upon some clues which point towards the recent series of deaths (read murders) in which the hospital staff might be involved. He is violently attacked while saving Dr. Ketaki, his lover, but somehow survives. In his PTSD state he is haunted by Sumitra (The Charioteer of Abhimanyu, son of the Pandava Arjun) who says that he is in purgatory to atone for his own sins of letting Abhimanyu die in the Chakravyuha.

Sumitra guides Aditya, who is still trying to find out about the killings and sends the ghost of Sapna, the girl who he inadvertently killed, as motivation. Our hero here falls for the ghost, is unable to express and waiting for Sumitra finally puts life back into her when all of this to get over. Meanwhile, his uncle Vijay, a hard but caring police officer, assists his progress. His attempts bear fruit and hidden secrets fall out from locked closets involving unethical practices, carcinogens, radioactive elements, bio-hazards etc.

My take: The story keeps you riveted between the pages. This is one of those books where every piece falls into place and you get full closure. It was very satisfying to read till the end. Apart from tiny errors here and there, the book is very well written and the plots are framed superbly. The characters are described such that you can actually visualize everything in your mind. The medical jargon won’t be hurdle for non-medics since most of it is explained alongside. For medics, this might prove to be tiresome and a bit like textbook reading though.

I am generally not a fan of bilingual books, but this one was an exception. The Sanskrit Shlokas are found in perfect harmony with the workings of a doctor’s mind. The mythical elements are not parallel to the story-line but are entwined with it. The research put into letting this happen needs a resounding applause as well.

Verdict: If you miss it…. Oh no, you dare not do that, you just cannot.

Book Courtesy: Writersmelon 


No comments:

Post a Comment